High school student dead after high-speed crash

April 01, 2017
By
Law Offices of James E. Crawford, Jr. & Associates

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A 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal high-speed
drunk driving accident that happened last Labor Day weekend. The incident
resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy who was ejected out of the
the vehicle.

The driver of the car pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter, in addition
to the charge of causing a life-endangering injury while intoxicated.
According to prosecutors, the teenage driver lost control of the vehicle
on a curve while driving 119 mph in a 35 mph zone. After losing control,
the young man’s Chrysler convertible hit a tree.

In addition to the deceased 15-year-old boy and the driver of the vehicle,
another 17-year-old boy was seriously injured in the crash.

According to prosecutors, the driver had a 0.11 percent blood alcohol content
at approximately 4 a.m., which was about two and a half hours after the
crash happened.

The plea bargain reached by the prosecution and defense in this case involved
the removal of a request by the young man’s attorney for the case
to be handled in juvenile court. After entering the guilty plea, neither
the driver nor his parents commented about the hearing. However, the attorney
said that the young man chose to plead guilty in order to honor the victims
of the crash and their families and that he wanted to take responsibility
for his actions.

Plea bargain arrangements are a common strategy in Baltimore court proceedings.
In some cases, those who may be guilty of certain offenses may plead guilty,
as this man did, in order to honor the victims who were harmed by the
actions. They may not put the victims’ families or their own through
any more pain. A guilty plea andplea bargain may also be a way for convicted individuals to gain a reduced sentence
in lieu of harsher punishments.

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